The Role of Online Social Media on the Experience and Communication of Gay Events in a Tourist Destination: A Case Study of a Small-Scale Film Festival in Nice

Abstract

Purpose

To know the role of online social media (OSM) on the experience and communication of a gay film festival (ZeFestival) in a tourist destination: Nice, France

Methodology/approach

Literature review accompanied with a qualitative study and netnographic analysis.

Findings

Informs on the use of OSMs by both organizers and festival goers, with a much poorer involvement of stakeholders than was envisaged. Proposes avenues for finding the causes of this lack of communication and sharing of the online experience.

Research limitations/implications

An exploratory study of a single gay film festival. The research work should be extended to other gay cultural events in Nice and France as a whole.

Practical implications

Recommendations for online experience sharing and communication before, during, and after the event.

Originality/value

This theme has been hardly broached on an international scale and never in a French context.

Citation

Christofle, S., Papetti, C. and Ferry, M. (2016), "The Role of Online Social Media on the Experience and Communication of Gay Events in a Tourist Destination: A Case Study of a Small-Scale Film Festival in Nice", Sotiriadis, M. and Gursoy, D. (Ed.) The Handbook of Managing and Marketing Tourism Experiences, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 323-341. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78635-290-320161012